Life’s Too Short For Matching Socks

Archive for June, 2008

We received an email from Phil Hammerslough which made me smile. He was gracious enough to allow me to share his thoughts on lost socks on our blog. Thanks Phil and I hope everyone enjoys this as much as I did. I’ll probably be treating my left behind socks with a little more respect now.

From Phil: Thought you’d like this story. I’ve been wearing mismatched socks since the early ’70s. When I taught 8th grade the students started doing it too! However my mismatched socks are nothing like your beauties! Best, Phil Hammerslough

Part II
Odd, Even & Perception by Phil Hammerslough

It’s astounding to think of how many socks have gone missing in one’s life! Hopefully more than lost opportunities and friends, and fewer than good days or pleasant dreams.

Never-the-less, they disappear, and like lost moments they never show up again, except for an occasional one, like de ja vu, that seems to appear out of nowhere from behind a dresser or chair, and you could swear you looked there just the other day!

The sock that is left behind is always referred to as the odd sock. This makes absolutely no sense to me. After all, isn’t it only logical to call the one that went missing odd, or at least peculiar? As in, “How peculiar for it to disappear.” Where the hell did it go, and why did it leave in the first place? Now, that’s odd!

As for the sock that stayed hooray! It should be treated as a hero. A real mench for sticking around while the other sock goes gallivanting off to god only knows where. This is the sock jilted. This is the sock left, (or right), patiently for the return of the profligate. This is the sock, now abandoned, which runs the risk of the garbage bin, the rag heap or worse! For the few creative, talented socks, they could become puppets, or horse’s heads on broomsticks. But so few achieve this status you could count them on one foot.

But what of that sock gone missing? What if it really was the odd sock? What if it didn’t fit in, or was poorly suited for the sock it was matched with? What if it had enough of being part of a “pair,” and sought dissolution of the match? What if it said, “Darn those social norms,” I’m off to look for a sock of a different stripe, or color!” What if that sock wasn’t happy to weave well enough alone and went underground, or off to seek its fortune, calling, or simpatico sock?

Yes, what then? Would we still ascribe a negative connotation to that, “Odd sock”? This sock is the sock that has taken fate by the foot and has initiated a sequence of events leaving cosmic ripples of seen, and unseen consequences! What becomes of that odd sock? Does it even remain a sock, or does it change through some weird alchemy into a hanger or some other object? What fate has that sock-gone-missing chosen for itself? Herein lies the rub.

I spent the weekend with my sisters doing the Trek Across Maine, a Reach the Beach event for the American Lung Association. It was a great ride and a fabulous time hanging out with my sisters and niece. Here’s a pic from us at the finish line (that’s me in the middle). Enjoy!

This last weekend I was camping at Cape Lookout State Park on the Oregon coast with twenty plus friends. The purpose behind this camping trip was to see our friends Brian & Molly off as they start their cross country bike tour. It was a great weekend filled with great friends, delicious food and plenty of bike riding. On Sunday eleven of us rode along for the first day of Brian & Molly’s ride. The route was from Cape Lookout Campground (near Tillamook), through Pacific City and ending in Lincoln City. My bike computer is broken, but I think it was about forty miles. The ride was gorgeous (despite two big hills – I hate hills).

Hopefully I’ll get to see Brian & Molly in July if they make it to Storyhillfest (an awesome little music festival if you get the chance) in Bozeman, Montana, which coincidentally is where my brother-in-law, the other son of THE Socklady, lives. Their route will also take them through South Strafford in Vermont – headquarters of Solmate Socks – where they’ll be able to sleep in a soft bed and get a hot shower courtesy of THE Socklady.

Brian & Molly are keeping everyone updated about their travels through their own bike tour blog. Feel free to say hi to them, read about their adventures and send words of encouragement. They are pretty extreme bike lovers, but six months on a bike can still be a long time and I’m sure they’d love to hear from all sorts of folks.

And here are some pics from the weekend.

Brian & Molly

Jenn drying her Socklady Socks… a little too close to the campfire.

Let’s Get Ready To Ride!
(I’m the one in a blue jacket and black helmet, in the center-back, just to the left of the guy in the bright yellow-green jacket. You can’t tell, but I’m wearing the Tulips.)